Phrase guide

fit to be tied

adj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • fĭt to͞o′ bē tīd′
  • fĭt′ tə bē tīd′
  • Received-Pronunciation: /fɪt tuː biː ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌfɪt tə biː ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • Canada, General-American: /fɪt tu bi ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌfɪt tə bi ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • Canada: /-ˈtʌɪ̯d/
  • Australian: /fɪt tʉː biː ˈtɑe̯d/
  • Australian: /ˌfɪt tə biː ˈtɑe̯d/
  • AuE Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Zealand: /fət tʉː biː ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • New-Zealand: /ˌfət tə biː ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • Scotland: /fɪt tʉ bi ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • Scotland: /ˌfɪt tə bi ˈtaɪ̯d/
  • Scotland: /-ˈtʌi̯d/
  • Scotland: /-ˈtəi̯d/
  • India: /fɪʈ ʈuː biː ˈʈajɖ/
  • India: /ˌfɪʈ ʈo biː ˈʈajɖ/

1

adj

Meaning 1

Very agitated or distressed; also, very angry; enraged, furious.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, informal, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ready to be tied, ropeable, agitated, angry, annoyed, apoplectic, bad-tempered, berserk, big mad, blood-boiling, boiling mad, butthurt, cheesed off, choleric, cranky, cross, enraged, fit to be tied, frustrated, fuming, furibund, furious, fury, glimflashy, grim, hopping mad, ill-natured, incensed, infuriated, irate, ireful, ired, irritated, little mad, livid, mad, mad as a bear with a sore head, miffed, offended, pathetic, pissed off, p'd off, pissed, pissy, raging, screwfaced, seething, spitting chips, splenetic, sore, steaming, up on one's ear, upset, vexed, waxy, wode, wrathful, wroth, zowerswopped

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From fit (“proper, suitable; prepared, ready”, adjective) + to (infinitive-marking particle) + be (auxiliary passive-voice verb) + tied (“attached or fastened by string or the like; bound”, adjective), probably referring to someone being so agitated or angry that they need to be physically restrained to prevent harm to themselves and/or others.